Review R21: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly vs. Hawthorn

[MRB37]

Had a fun read of the Hawks board game day thread. Cripes I thought we were biased! They all believe Izak threw the ball back to TT for that goal! Also umpires were in the Crows payroll! Also would you believe it - the Fox commentators hate Hawthorn!

They'll just ignore the stuff like the Gunston free they played on from where they hit the post and the ump called it back for Gunston to goal.

 

[MRB37]

 

[Mr_Moogle]

The power stance still has a winning record.

 

[glengowan]

The Good: The cream that is rising to the top. Dawson and Thilthorpe in that 2nd quarter. Tex and Rankine in the last. Fogarty having clutch moments several times at CHF throughout the game. The Crows' got talent.

The Bad: Free kick Hawthorn.

The Ugly: I heard an ugly sounding roar and looked up to see Nick Murray cheering with the double cobra to a Keane spoil out of bounds. This is full buy in. The team is the loudest I've heard off the ball since the Tex lead days in 16/17. By ugly, I mean beautiful.

 

[CrowBloke]

I'm somewhat happy the Collingwood game has so much riding on the result. It will be a finals test at a perfect time before the finals start. Like a full dress rehearsal.

What's with Collingwood, do you know? They've lost 3 of their last 4. Are they 'tapering' ie working hard on the track in preparation for Finals or is it too early for that?
It could cost them a Top-2 spot.

There's a logjam of 5 teams from Geelong down to GWS but it looks like only the current Top-5 are fighting for a Top-2 spot because of %.

To win would be awesome but win or lose, it will be very valuable experience for a team with almost zero finals experience.

I agree but I'd prefer the win (and a losing experience be damned).
Adelaide can control their own destiny by winning their last 3 games to finish Top and would then be riding a wave of wins into the Finals with two @ AO.
Winning form is the best form and our games vs Hawks (won) and Collingwood will be better preparation than the Cats' last 4 games. However, we can bet that Chris Scott will be managing his blokes to have them cherry-ripe for a Finals assault.
Imagine a Crows-Geelong GF at the G with potentially the last chance for a Flag for Tex and Dangerdog!

So, the Collingwood game @ Home has become our most crucial Minor Round game, for which Rachele and MM will probably not be ready. We have covered our Butts with Murray's return and Bond's likely retention until MM is back.

A win over the Pies will give our blokes that little bit extra belief, confidence and self-assurance.
Beating them would stamp our 2025 credentials and make us as good a chance as any other contenders for the Flag.

 

[GreyCrow]

What's with Collingwood, do you know? They've lost 3 of their last 4. Are they 'tapering' ie working hard on the track in preparation for Finals or is it too early for that?
It could cost them a Top-2 spot.

I think so

They have Hawks next week - then us and finish with Melbourne

Only the Melbourne game would be written with pen

If hey beat Hawks they should finish 1/2 and order doesnt matter

 

[Captain_Plane]

Good
Dawson's second quarter
Rankine as the deepest forward in the last quarter and in the forward line in general
Berry played a great game
Bond and Zac Taylor played well again, love Taylor his handballs under pressure are always good, got a 2v1 aerial contest mid second quarter and got the ball out of bounds, I think he's gonna be a great player.
Worrell also great
Bad
Dump kicks into the forward line straight to hawks defenders was triggering of the time that geelong guy got a world record of intercept marks last year
Low IQ 'superfans' of every team who think the AFL and the umpiring department is biased against them. I used to work with one of the umpires this board hates and he may not be a very good umpire but far out to suggest he "hates adelaide" is a farce, trust me he doesn't give a shit about adelaide or any of the other teams he's just a fitness guy who got into umpiring
Ugly
Whoever in the studio wanted "crowd noise" so we had a solitary fan yelling out "Hey Hardwick, eat a dick, eat a big fat one Hardwick" on the live telecast
Peatling - he's like the skinny kid with rampant ADHD in the under 12s with no skills but whose pure recklessness and chaos makes them an asset to the team. I actually love watching him play and he's a huge value-add to our midfield, but his disposal is so so bad. Long may it continue

 

[Captain_Plane]

For those that wanted to see the Fox Footy interview with Tex. It’s great !!!

Man, watching Garry Lyon looking with such longing and envy towards Tex you really got the sense of a man who feels his best years are behind him. They need more commentators with eg major depressive disorder or other mental health conditions on just to bring some rawness and emotional chaos to the broadcast

 

[CrowBloke]

I think so

... that they're tapering?

They have Hawks next week - then us and finish with Melbourne

Interesting.
The Hawks have a 6-day break and the Pies 5, but the Thursday night game means Collingwood have a handy
9-day break before they play us (6 days after we fly back from Perth) at AO.
Coincidence, right? ... .
The AFL wouldn't do that to gift them an edge, right?

The Hawks will be throwing everything they've got @ Collingwood and I can't remember a time when I've wanted Hawthorn to win a game (maybe against the ferals ) but I sure as Hell want them to win this Thursday night.
Collingwood can gagf.

Only the Melbourne game would be written with pen

If the Hawks and Crows beat them, that'll be 5 losses in 6 games and might cost them a spot in the Top-2
and golly-GEE-whillikers that'd be too bad, eh?

If hey beat Hawks they should finish 1/2 and order doesnt matter

It kinda does matter, doesn't it, since it will determine their opponent?

 

[Vader]

I think so

They have Hawks next week - then us and finish with Melbourne

Only the Melbourne game would be written with pen

If hey beat Hawks they should finish 1/2 and order doesnt matter

Collingwood can still drop out of the top-2, even if they beat Hawthorn.

Brisbane are only 2 points behind Collingwood. If Adelaide win their 3 remaining games, including Collingwood, and Brisbane win their last 3, then Brisbane will jump Collingwood and move to 2nd. In that case, Collingwood would probably finish 4th (Geelong 3rd on percentage).

If Collingwood lose to Hawthorn then they could drop out of the top-4 entirely.

 

[marvin]

Of the Fox Footy crew Buckley, Lyon, King and Montagna rate us highly. Dunstall and Brown don't give much away. Lyon can't help mentioning Sam Darcy whenever Thilthorpe does something but that doesn't mean he doesn't rate the team.

Matthews doesn't rate us, and Riewoldt borderline hates us.

Pretty much spot on. Also, Brereton is hard to pick, but I think he barracks for Dermie only he’s going to use 500 words to say so. And everything Dwayne says is designed to remind you that he played at Alberton in the 80s

 

[chazwazza]

For those that wanted to see the Fox Footy interview with Tex. It’s great !!!

Thank you.
The pure joy of Tex.
He’s the heart and soul of that club.

 

[cmndstab]

Pretty much spot on. Also, Brereton is hard to pick, but I think he barracks for Dermie only he’s going to use 500 words to say so. And everything Dwayne says is designed to remind you that he played at Alberton in the 80s

Dermie just loves quality forwards. Ergo, he rates us at the moment.

 

[chazwazza]

I wonder if the way West Coast supported the team after Phil Walsh’s passing has anything to do with the mutual respect

I think they’re similar clubs with similar history, both suffering the same rough end of the VFL stick.
My mum is a WA girl so there’s a bit of a soft spot too

 

[ams4crows]

... that they're tapering?

Interesting.
The Hawks have a 6-day break and the Pies 5, but the Thursday night game means Collingwood have a handy
9-day break before they play us (6 days after we fly back from Perth) at AO.
Coincidence, right? ... .
The AFL wouldn't do that to gift them an edge, right?

The Hawks will be throwing everything they've got @ Collingwood and I can't remember a time when I've wanted Hawthorn to win a game (maybe against the ferals ) but I sure as Hell want them to win this Thursday night.
Collingwood can gagf.

If the Hawks and Crows beat them, that'll be 5 losses in 6 games and might cost them a spot in the Top-2
and golly-GEE-whillikers that'd be too bad, eh?

It kinda does matter, doesn't it, since it will determine their opponent?

Melbourne if they want to can still do some damage, Collingwood aren't playing that well, Melbourne could upset them.

Also Brisbane having to go to Perth to Play Fremantle who also have to win to make finals.

As the old saying goes a week is a long time in football, we have to still take it one week at a time not look to far ahead

 

[SugarShane]

I think they’re similar clubs with similar history, both suffering the same rough end of the VFL stick.
My mum is a WA girl so there’s a bit of a soft spot too

Yeah the respect was there before the Walsh game. Most of it I think is what you said, we're basically the same thing. Sydney are South Melbourne, Brisbane are half Fitzroy when it suits.

Us and West Coast are the only actual conglomerate teams designed to represent the footy mad states to try and take down the VFL.

 

[Apsaalooke]

Low IQ 'superfans' of every team who think the AFL and the umpiring department is biased against them. I used to work with one of the umpires this board hates and he may not be a very good umpire but far out to suggest he "hates adelaide" is a farce, trust me he doesn't give a shit about adelaide or any of the other teams he's just a fitness guy who got into umpiring

That's one guy, assuming he's not lying. Doesn't translate to every umpire in the history of AFL.

 

[feenix67]

Low IQ 'superfans' of every team who think the AFL and the umpiring department is biased against them. I used to work with one of the umpires this board hates and he may not be a very good umpire but far out to suggest he "hates adelaide" is a farce, trust me he doesn't give a shit about adelaide or any of the other teams he's just a fitness guy who got into umpiring

If you think Troy Pannell was just a "bad umpire" you're dreaming.

If you think Matt Stevic just happens to award frees consistently to the Hawks and miss frees for their opposition, by coincidence, you're not engaging occam's razor in your analysis.

 

[BRL121]

That's one guy, assuming he's not lying. Doesn't translate to every umpire in the history of AFL.

I was amused by a friendly little umpire interchange with Tex after his third goal. Unless I'm very much mistaken, the ump was commenting with a smile that it was three for Tex. Maybe he'd had a bet with him that he wouldn't get three.

 

[Kane McGoodwin]

If you think Troy Pannell was just a "bad umpire" you're dreaming.

If you think Matt Stevic just happens to award frees consistently to the Hawks and miss frees for their opposition, by coincidence, you're not engaging occam's razor in your analysis.

Some people are just so naive...

It's not a coincidence that we always get a raw deal from a a handful of umpires.

Also, not a coincidence that umpires like Stevic dominate far more decisions than the other umpires. At one stage on Friday night, he gave 3 quick frees to the Hawks in a row & he was not the nearest umpires for all of them!

 

[Rabman]

2006 preliminary final still burns, especially considering what was going on at that club during that period. Hard have the same soft spot for them as some on here do.

 

[Mr_Moogle]

2006 preliminary final still burns, especially considering what was going on at that club during that period. Hard have the same soft spot for them as some on here do.

It's our own damn fault for not drafting/recruiting a forward line.

 

[Scorpus]

If you think Troy Pannell was just a "bad umpire" you're dreaming.

If you think Matt Stevic just happens to award frees consistently to the Hawks and miss frees for their opposition, by coincidence, you're not engaging occam's razor in your analysis.

Well Troy Pannell is a convicted criminal...

 

[Owen_AFC97]

There 's a reason why certain umpires within the AFL climb the ranks so quickly and stay there for a long time, and let me tell you, it is not because of their elite umpiring skills.

 

[Owen_AFC97]

Also just a reminder that the Collingwood game should have been irrelevant to a top 2 finish. We can thank the elite AFL umpiring fraternity for the role they played in the Gold Coast earlier this year.